Silence in Stone
by Keita
Summary: "I like silences. Talkin’ always means something other than what people are sayin’. I should know, after all, I lie for a livin’. So talkin’ is something I try to avoid. Silence is always better." Come hither and hear the story of a spy...
1. I Spy

**Random burst of inspiration. *shrug* Dunno how far it'll take me. I bid myself good luck!**

I stood aside and let the lord pass. He brushed right past me in an imperious manner, and pinched the bottom of another maid, winking at her. I shuddered and droplets from my bucket spilled onto the floor, creating little circles of imperfection that I'd have to clean again. Beauty was overrated. I'm glad I'm plain. No one notices you, and in my line of work, that's a blessing. Over course, in that applies to my current position as well, but most of all, to my real job.

I am a spy.

Didn't think I'd go right out there and say it, did ya? Spies usually don't… at least, the good ones. But seeing as how you're not real, just an imaginary friend my mind as created for me, I'll testify at will. My job has lots of stress, and sometimes, I can't take it anymore. I guess that's where you come in. Can't talk to a real person ya know… they'd rat me out in a second. Love their king, they do. Dunno what's so great about him… just another handsome guy. Don't care for guys much. I've got someone back home… dun think he'll wait for me though, I've been gone awhile. Kinda hard to care about things though, when you've got the fate of a nation on your shoulders. Not that I care about that either… I stopped caring a while back. I jus' do my job, get my pay and wait for the next, boozin' and reading in between. And tendin' my garden. I love my garden. I hope Marcus is takin' good care of my seedlings… I told him he needs to water them twice and day and talk to them for a bit, but he's to proud to do that. I jus' need to find what I need to find, get it home, and get outta here.

Ya see, my nation is planning war on this one. Can't tell ya who though, or on who. You could make yourself real to someone else and tell 'em everything you know! Then where would I be? Stone dead thas what. Dun wanna be there. My sister is dead. Dun wanna be near her anymore than I need to. I think I killed her, but I can't be sure. She was annoyin'. Always whinin'. You can only take so much…

But you, you'll never become annoying, nope. Because I made you, and that means you'll never talk, because I dun want you too. I prefer silence to talking. Silence is always stone. Still. Cold. Never fluctuating or changing. Silence always speaks the same language, consistently. Always that same simple language full of meanin's only I can decipher. I like silences. Talkin' always means something other than what people are sayin'. I should know, after all, I lie for a livin'. So talkin' is something I try to avoid. Silence is always better. The cool, dark silence.

So what was I sayin'? Ah yes… I'm a spy. We're getting' ready for war ya know, wanna expand our territory. My job is to find out all the battle procedures and usual tactics for war. Their strategies. I also gotta find out how many troops there are, but that was easy. Just some awe-filled questions and poof, you got an answer. Soldiers will always tell a woman anything if she's willin' to work for it. And I'm willin' to work. I gotta. Favors are the name of the game. I do what I need to do to get the job done. I get compensated in the end, so it's not all bad.

I've moved up the ranks in the servants hierarchy, which many people don't even know existed. Oh it's there all right, like a government all our own. Thieves got one too; most commoners do. Everyone wants power, and the way to get it is through a system. So systems are made. Anyway, I've got almost all I need to know, except the western front defense strategies. Them's the most important of all. I gotta have them. Once I do, it's back home I go, and back to my little home in the city, with my huge garden. 

All the other homes and gardens get looted, but not mine. Everyone knows that I'm under the protection of the City Baron and the King himself. How them two managed to get along is beyond me, The King wants the City Baron dead. I s'pose that a City Baron is something like a King of Thieves here… they run all the illicit activities in every city. None answer to each other though, each city is a country all it's own, with different rules and a different hierarchy. I think that that makes it better than over here, because if'n the current Baron isn't doin' his job right, his people can pick up and leave for somewhere else, so the Barons' are forced to always do whats best for the common folk. There's never any double dealing with nobles and ratting people out. We're at his mercy, but he's at our mercy too.

Anyway, back to my job. I've completely run out of ideas for it. You got any? Nah, you're mute. I need to get those plans, but they're completely inaccessible to me. Even the King's secret mistress's don't get access to the part of the castle where they're kept; his private chambers. A very select few are even allowed to clean those rooms, but even then, under constant supervision. Magically protected and locked, there no way to break in either.

I can't fail this mission, I'm getting paid by the bucket load for it! I might even be elevated to nobility and get some newly conquered fief if all goes well. There's too much at stake. I'm gonna get the papers even if'n it kills me.

Well, goodnight you, I hope you're not imaginary again by morning.

**Well, how was that? It sorta ends off abruptly, but remember, she a bit off her rocker. Couple brick short of a house. A few fries short of a happy meal. A couple chips short of bag. **

**I randomly got this idea last night, so I got up, snuck to the computer, and started typing. I finished it off this morning, but didn't have time to upload. So here it is. Finally.**

**I do hope I can finish this, because it really won't be a very long story. I'd estimate around 10 chapters, maybe more.**

**:oD******

**--Keita**


	2. Tribulations

**Ah, blessed blessed reviewers… for the first time in my life I've decided to actually give you replies and the suchlike. Crazy eh? Anyway, on with the show! **

**Valencia22 **à Thanks! You read as many fics as I do, most likely more, so any good review means a lot!****

**Anastazia Silverwind **à Yes… we all are a bit crazy. Some of us more than others…****

**Krizsta **à Oh I'm hoping too… but with me, it doesn't happen very often. Ever, actually…****

**ladyknight**** **à Weehoo to you too! And actually, it's quite easy to write with that accent, seeing as how its my thought-accent when I think or write. It comes very naturally to me.****

**Tontritus **à The way she thinks just sorta came to me, I rarely "personally" narrate my stories… ah well, it fits. And as for you review of my Religion paper, thank you very much! Would you believe you're the first male one I've ever actually "met"?****

**tropicalfrost86**** **à I'm glad it does… *thinks to self* What an odd review… I like it!****

**Black Rose **à I do believe she mentioned earlier that she'll never tell you (you being the imaginary friend she's talking to. Yes, all you readers are the collective imaginary friend). It's up to you to decide what country she works for and against… actually, and what time period. Heck, I havn't even decided that yet!****

**Larzdinn **à Wow, ANOTHER person who reviews as much as me likes my fic! I'm oh-so-very happy right now. Pah, incentive shimcentive, I'll finish if my Muse keeps rollin' in the ideas. Oh he better… *waves fist at Hæme*****

**Cobweb ****à A BIT crazy?** You ain't seen nothin' yet.****

**demented-dreamer**** **à What!? I couldn't quite understand that, but you were high? Who wastes a good high _reading_? Honestly… Don't get anything on your keyboard and mess it up. *shakes finger* (What, you expected me to give you the "don't do drugs" speech? Hah, just because I don't do them doesn't mean I'm against them!)****

**_Important Note From Author:_ OW! %#@*! I just tried to smile and split my lip. Geez I need some lib-balm… Also, the ~~~'s denote a time change. This not being a diary, there'll be no dates of exact times given, because remember, she assumes you kinda live with her, in her mind, and in her room, so you know what goes on… she'll "materialize" her friend in random locations, and at random times. You might even be taken along during a spy mission with her sometimes, depending on how talkative she is. It's a bit weird, but my style of narration for this story is really normal either.**

I have a plan! Through some whisperin's I "overheard" between some of the castle maids and menservants, I've found that the Rogue has his claws well into the palace. He's even got some claws sunk into the palace guard. I must commend him on that, he's soundin' to be as skillful as my own City Baron. Now, all's I gotta do is find some guard that's of the Rogue, and wangle him a position as the supervisor for King's personal cleanin' maid, and… Nah, I can't be tellin' you all my plans, I gots to keep them all locked away safely, up in my head. Everythin' I know is locked away up there… even all the plans I should be makin' copies of. If worst come to worst, I need to be able to burn those, and then run away. Thas why I'm one of the best. I never leave a trace.  I'm bettin' I could even out spy the Spymaster, though I'm certainly not gonna try that. I dun have a death wish.

Anyways, so here I am, on the brink of a new plan, with no way to really find which guard is on the Rogue's side. It looks like I'll have to revert back to my old-fashioned trackin' techniques. I haven't had to use them since my early days, when I was hired for dirt jobs… It's so tedious an' time-consumin'. I better get a good pay for all the work I've been doin'.

~~~~~

Well now my trackin' is finally underway, but I really must tell ya about this dream I had th' other night. I was in a market place, when some guards started chasin' some man, tryin' to poke his eyes out. Somethin' about makin' him tell the truth. Dunno how becomin' blind would do that, but it doesn't matter. Suddenly their dogs turned and started chasin' me, three of them. There was a fourth but I think he was mine, a chubby, black, short-haired one. A retriever I think. I ran to my garden back home, and closed the gate, but they jumped over the fence. Then when I tried to run into my house, a big, golden, long haired one followed me in before I could close the door. A reddish-brown-black one kept poundin' at the door, and I think the last little one might have been attackin' my own dog, but I'm not sure. 

In the end, the golden dog, almost as big as a bear, just sat on my couch and looked at me, lazily. Just lookin' and layin' there. An' all I had was a stick. I'm glad I woke up from that 'un. Funny thing was that through the entire dream, I wasn't a-feared, or panicky… I was just there. Guess I really dun feel panic or fear much anymore. Too experienced I s'pose.

Anyway, back to the subject of my trackin'. It's real complicated, but I managed to get  some likely suspects by askin' around. Palace workers is always willin' to gossip 'bout anythin'. There's a tip to remember. Gossip always has some truth in it, mebe not always in the words, but always in who started it an' why. Thas why you always gotta keep tabs on who started what gossip an' what they said an' who they said it against. You get alota inside information that way. 'Member that. You'd make a good spy, bein' invisible an' all… hah! I almos' forgot you weren't real! Wouldja lookit me, you'd think I was crazy. But I'm not crazy right? Good, I'm not…

~~~~~

Shhh! Ya gotta be quiet! You're wonderin' why I'm sittin' here up on a roof in th' middle of th' day right? Well this time I'll tell ya. See I'm followin' around this guard durin' his lunch break. It took alota work to find out when it was, and even more work to get mine to be at the same time. I had to flirt with him to find out when the lunch break was, which took alota work too, since he already has a girl of his own. But as plain as I am, I know how to talk anyone around my little finger, so that worked out fine.

Then I had to get to the head servant person, which I didn' manage to do actually, so I had to get someone else to ask for a change for me! That took even more time that I thought. Anyway, so after a couple weeks I finally got a lunch at the same time as his, so for the next couple days I'll be followin' him around. I hope the people back home know what kinda trouble I'm goin' through to get their information for them. I wonder if'n it's even worth it really…

Hush! Here he comes! Aha, I knew it! He's gone into that inn where all the thieves go! Can ya read? Dun think so, so that's good, you dun know what it is. That way you dun know who and where exactly I'm spyin' from. Any information leak is dangerous, and if you tell anyone about me… I dun know what I'll do but it won't be pretty! Now's I gotta get down from here and see what he's talkin' about in there. Come with me, but don't make a sound!

Don't trip over that bucket there, I gotta get real close to the wall without makin' a sound. He's at the bar, chattin' with some shady lookin' character. See that glass over there? I'm gonna maneuver those two men arguin' over to it, so they'll start a ruckus when they finally do start to push and knock it over. That way I'll have th' bartender distracted enough to duck under th' countertop and listen to the conversation. You stay here, I'll be back.

~~~~~

Well, after a couple days of that, I just figured out that he's useless. He's just comes there everyday to chat with a buddy and look for that servin' wench he's got his eye on. Hah, she'll never have him though, she's got her eye on the man he keeps on talkin' too, not him! And that man's got his eye another wench who's got her eye on the guard. It's amazin' what you can pick up from such a short time. All's ya gotta do is take careful 'ttention to how they move with different people around, and where they tend to look. 

It's the eyes really. Eyes can tell's you a lot. Like how when people are tryin' to think up stuff real fast, or remember somethin' they can't really 'member, or are just searchin' for the right word; they always look kinda up and to th' left. You can tell if someone's lyin' or havin' a real hard time rememberin' some story if'n they keep lookin' up an' left. Useful skills I pick up don't I? Anyway, goodnight again, I gotta start all over again, an' I'm real tired.

**Well, there you have it folks. The next installment. Hopefully she's seeming less and less sane as time goes on. Also, you imaginary friend you, don't discard all that useful information she's given. It might become real handy later in life. I know I use it, but then again, I don't really lead the most *cough legal cough* lifestyle…**

**Sorry these chapters are a bit short, but for some reason, it's just goes hand in hand with my style of narration. You can't really expect this story to be too long. Or exciting actually. *shrug***

**:oD******

**--Keita**


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